Egypt’s Al-Sisi begins three-nation Asian trip with South Korea

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi heads to the Republic of Korea today at the start of an Asian trip that will likewise consist of the Kingdom of Malaysia and the Republic of Indonesia.

The trip starts with a state see to South Korea, where Al-Sisi will hold talks with President Lee Jae-myung and take part in a roundtable with the heads and agents of significant Korean business, governmental representative Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy stated. The Asian trip will then continue with a state check out to Malaysia and a see to Indonesia, El-Shennawy included.

At Lee’s invite, Al-Sisi will get here in Korea on Wednesday and consult with Lee Thursday throughout a three-day stay, South Korean governmental representative Kang Yu-jung stated in a composed rundown.

“Through the top, (the 2 leaders) prepare to hold extensive conversations on financial cooperation, such as trade and financial investment, facilities and supply chains, in addition to broadening people-to-people exchanges, the local political circumstance and global concerns,” she stated.

“We anticipate President Al-Sisi’s state see to work as a crucial chance to establish Korea-Egypt ties into a tactical collaboration and more reinforce our nation’s cooperation with Africa and the Middle East,” Kang stated.

The journey functions as a chance for Egypt to utilize its position as a complete BRICS member and an entrance to African and Middle Eastern markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), while resolving deep trade deficits with its Asian partners.

Al-Sisi’s arrival in Seoul returns a four-and-a-half-hour Cairo top hung on 20 November 2025– Lee’s very first to Egypt because taking workplace in June 2025– which accompanied the 30th anniversary of complete diplomatic ties. Throughout that top, the leaders signed 3 contracts covering education, culture, and digital federal government, while Seoul introduced a brand-new Middle East effort called SHINE and vowed $10m to the Egyptian Red Crescent for Gaza refugees. Cairo pitched for Korean financial investment in infotech, expert system, vehicle production, petrochemicals, shipbuilding, and mining, stressing localisation.

Defence stays a sharp edge of the bilateral relationship. Following a $1.7 bn agreement checked in 2022 with a Korean defence company for K9 self-propelled howitzers, leaders formerly gone over expanding defence cooperation beyond K9 co-production into airplane and ground weapons systems. Al-Sisi last went to Seoul in March 2016, raising the relationship to a thorough collaboration.

Trade figures in between Egypt and South Korea differ depending upon the source. The Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) taped $995.3 m in bilateral trade from January to September 2025, greatly manipulated to Korean exports, with Egyptian exports at $56.1 m versus imports of $939.2 m. Conversely, Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk specified trade reached $1.6 bn in 2024, with Korean foreign direct financial investment in Egypt surpassing $6bn to date. Korean authorities reported cumulative financial investment of $930m in 2024. South Korea keeps Egypt as its only Official Development Assistance (ODA) concern partner in the Middle East and North Africa, with an overall volume of $350m, consisting of a $460m funding arrangement for 40 train systems for Cairo Metro lines 2 and 3.

Following Seoul, Al-Sisi will make a state see to Malaysia, constructing on relations that marked their 65th anniversary in 2024. A crucial reset took place throughout Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s main check out to Cairo in November 2024, where both sides consented to work towards a tactical collaboration. Anwar looked for Al-Sisi’s assistance for Malaysia’s quote for complete BRICS subscription, and the leaders reunited at the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi in September. A watch point for the Kuala Lumpur leg is whether the long-flagged tactical collaboration upgrade is formally signed.

Bilateral trade with Malaysia struck a record $718m in 2025. Egyptian exports to Malaysia grew more than 22%, led by citrus, while potato exports leapt 146%. The reactivated Joint Trade and Investment Committee has actually been entrusted with concentrating on semiconductors, renewable resource, the halal market, and digital improvement. Al-Azhar stays the anchor of soft power; Anwar’s 2024 journey consisted of memorandums of comprehending with the organization.

Al-Sisi’s last stop is Indonesia, a relationship with deep historic roots, as Egypt was the very first nation to acknowledge Indonesia’s self-reliance in 1947. Momentum has actually sped up under Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who went to Cairo two times just recently. On 12 April 2025, the 2 countries updated ties to a tactical collaboration covering production, trade, ICT, and defence training.

The Gaza measurement supplies the Jakarta leg with considerable geopolitical weight. At the Board of Peace in February, Prabowo vowed as much as 8,000 soldiers and accepted a deputy leader function in the International Stabilization Force (ISF). With Indonesian forces anticipated in Rafah, the sector surrounding Egypt, and Egypt and Jordan dedicated to training a future Palestinian police, border coordination and ISF logistics are anticipated on the program.

Trade with Indonesia reached $2.38 bn in 2025, making Egypt Indonesia’s leading trade partner in North Africa. Indonesia ran a $1.50 bn surplus. A trade offer is presently on the table, with Egypt signalling preparedness for parallel settlements on a Preferential Trade Agreement and a more comprehensive Free Trade Agreement.